“We are not born focusing, it’s an acquired skill that requires initial effort and constant upgrading.”
In this day and age, with multiple electronic devices at our fingertips, it is easy to divert our attention to the technology at hand and take away our focus on what needs to be done. The word that is very popular with my students is procrastination: to postpone or delay needlessly.
So to come back to my ramblings… how does an artist learn how to draw, or paint? Is it by copying from the Masters? Is it by drawing/painting in plein air, alive with the elements? Is it by observation? Or is it with the imagination? In my point of view, all answers ring true! I would just suggest to alternate between: sketching from life, working from the imagination and copying from the Masters. And a big thank you to James Gurney who initially sent out this valuable information on his blog…
So for this coming semester, I will try to let the students delve into these three methods of drawing. For the first exercise I will ask them to draw 18 emojis… and this should be from their imagination. The second exercise will be copying from the Masters. The following apple was drawn using curving lines to show the swelling of the apple. I am relying on The Prang Elementary Course in Art Instruction. In this book, examples are shown on the left side of the page what the student is expected to copy on the right hand side. I actually redid the drawing myself as I am hoping that because I did the drawing students will relate more readily than with a very old book… hah-hah!
Fountain Pen: Pilot Falcon SEF
Ink: DeAtramentis Document Black Ink
Paper: Moleskine Sketchbook Large 5″x8″
Painting to see : Peindre pour voir 